Rating: B+

Rating: 8/10 (13 April 2018)

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Some movies are just not what they look like. When I discovered what Pacific Rim was about, I instantly thought "well, here we go again with another Transformers film but with monsters instead". However, Guillermo del Toro was the director, so I had to give it a chance. Thankfully, I was extremely surprised!
The main characters are well-developed, each one has a powerful and emotional backstory, plus distinct personalities. Idris Elba is a freaking badass, but the standout of the movie is Rinko Kikuchi. She is incredible and her range of expressions is astounding. Excellent work from Rinko, who elevated her already well-written character. Charlie Hunnam gets a lot of scrutiny from critics, but I usually stand on his side. However, even though he isn't bad, I didn't feel the emotions that he was supposed to transmit in more compelling moments. He doesn't bring the film down, but he also doesn't elevate it.
The story is actually captivating (it even carries some twists that change the course of action) and the action is visually jaw-dropping. I mean, there are Godzilla-like monsters fighting better-designed Transformers and most importantly, del Toro is at the command. Even if he is more used to work with prosthetics, he nails the CGI. Additionally, most of the action is set on water which is known to be a very harsh environment to film decent action. Everything is seamless and there are genuinely creative sequences that left me in awe.
The editing is great and the score is very cool. I love the movie's pacing, it never gets boring when there isn't a fight due to the interesting characters. Their dialogues are meaningful and the consequences of the destruction feel realistic. del Toro's world-building skills are phenomenal, he focused on creating a world where monsters and machines could exist without making it sound forced or stupid. He didn't worry about producing a franchise, he just tried to make a good standalone film and I think he even surprised himself with the final product.
Nevertheless, it does have its flaws. While the main characters are remarkable, there are a couple of secondary characters who are extremely annoying. One is always screaming instead of just talking while the other is an exaggerated version of a stereotypical British person. They are even more frustrating because they are linked to an important part of the plot, hence a bigger chunk of screentime with these two. It breaks the tone since we quickly change from a serious moment to a cartoon comedy.
Even though it doesn't feel slow at all, there is a gap between the first fight and the second one that I think is too long. An action-packed 20min go to 40min with pretty much no action whatsoever. Finally, del Toro uses an excess of exposition. The first act is full of narration and everything is just thrown at us. I got to a point where I actually thought "is this guy still narrating after 15min?".
All in all, I had a blast with Pacific Rim! It makes me think how Transformers would be like if they were directed by someone more competent. Guillermo del Toro makes the most of his nack for visually stunning action and his world-building skills are intact, as the well-written characters dive in a surprisingly interesting screenplay.